A Jaded Secret
by SakuraJade
Summary: The Quests and Bannons move to the Florida compound after the Maine compound is destroyed by Zin. There Jessie finds an old picture that shatters the world she knows causing her and Jonny to embark on a quest for the truth behind her past. J&J pairing
1. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

**A/N:** I suddenly had a renewed interest in JQTRA so I busted out the old 6 hour VHS tapes I made back when JQTRA aired for the first time over a decade ago. Ah, I forgot how great this show was. Anyway I ended up doing some research and something I found inspired me to write a fanfic (as well as the movie Jonny's Golden Quest, sounds like a porno lol) and so here it is. This kind of picks up where the series left off, except the last episode before this story starts was "The Robot Spies" episode with Zin (the final episode "More Than Zero" happened right before it instead of after it).

_**Plot:**_ The Quests and Bannons move to the Florida compound after the Maine compound is destroyed by Zin. There Jessie finds an old picture that shatters the world she knows causing her and Jonny to embark on a quest for the truth behind her past.

_Note: _I never watched classic JQ and I was only able to find about three tiny pictures of the Florida compound on the net so I'm basing its design off those pictures as best I can along with Palm Key Island (which actually DOES exist, although it's tiny and there's nothing on it lol).

Disclaimer: "I do not own The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Hanna-Barbara does and if they were smart, they'd continue the series!"

" means spoken words

_Italics_ means thoughts

**A Jaded Secret**

_Chapter 1: A Picture's worth a Thousand Words_

Jessie stared out the window of the van as it cruised down the highway through the sunny isles of the Florida Keys. Her dad was up front driving while talking to Jonny's dad, Benton, and Jonny was busying himself with a portable video game console in the seat next to her. Bandit was asleep on the floor. The family was currently in the process of moving to the compound located on the island of Palm Key just off the coast of Florida. The only thing the small island held was the Quest compound so Dr. Quest had to personally pay to build a private road to connect the island to the main highway. A few days ago, Dr. Zin sent his giant spider-like robots to the Quest Compound in Maine and, after kidnapping Jonny, Jessie, and her mother Estella – who had been visiting from South America – the robots blew up the house. Race had been at the airport picking Benton up – he had been at a conference to discuss quantum fractal energy sources – when it happened. Bandit had survived, miraculously, and Jessie suspected that it might have had something to do with the water of immortality he drank at Shambala when they were visiting Hadji in Bangalore a couple months back. They had been unsure if the water made one immune to old age or dying period, and though she still couldn't be certain, Jessie now thought it might be the latter.

Using the homing pins in Jonny and Jessie's watches, Benton and Race were able to track them to Egypt. Once in Egypt, however, they had to enlist the service of Jezebel Jade Kenyon, a woman Jessie wasn't all too fond of. Sure her dislike for Jade had lessened since their adventure to retrieve the Blood Gem in Djakarta, Java, but she was far from liking the woman. As she told Jonny before, there was always an angle with her. She'd proven that fact yet again on their last adventure. She had agreed to help Race and Benton find their children – for pay of course – and then she used them to steal the scepter of Osiris from a man named Stepheno Dupace in order to sell it to a different client. Turned out that client was Dr. Zin and that scepter helped him acquire the ability to control minds.

Jessie subconsciously clenched her fists in irritation as she thought back on that day.

Luckily they were able to separate the scepter from the gauntlet that Zin had, destroying his plan. Of course Jade didn't know she was retrieving the scepter of Osiris for Zin, but still . . . Her obsession with making a quick buck made their situation worse. And it was for these kinds of reasons that Jessie didn't care for Jade and probably never would. It still got under her skin that Jonny had thrown it in her face on more than one occasion that she and Jade were very similar and had a lot in common. She couldn't believe he had the audacity to compare her to that shifty thief. If there was only one thing in this world that Jessie knew for sure, it was that she would _never_ be like Jezebel Jade.

Once their adventure in Egypt was over, they returned to the Maine compound to salvage what hadn't been destroyed. To everyone's delight, the lighthouse was still intact so IRIS and all the other QuestWorld gadgets were okay. The gang packed it all up to bring it with them. Jonny and Jessie were pulled out of Rockport High School immediately and they said their farewells to Mrs. Evans. She had been very saddened to learn they were moving but, after many hugs and some tears on her part, they assured her they would be rebuilding the Maine compound and returning once it was finished. And here they were, driving along the chain of islands that make up the Florida Keys in the Atlantic Ocean. It all happened rather fast but it didn't faze Jessie much because that was just how this family worked. They were always in the fast lane it seemed, jumping from one adventure to another all across the world.

"Hey, kids, we're coming up to the compound," Dr. Quest suddenly announced from the passenger side. "It'll be on the right side."

Jessie peered out of her window, interested to see what her new home would look like. She had never been to the Florida compound. The Quests and her father had already moved to the Maine one long before she came to stay with them. Jonny put down his video game and leaned over Jessie to see out the window.

"Hey watch it," Jessie said as Jonny accidentally elbowed her in the side.

"Oh sorry, Jess, I'm just excited to see the place. I mean I haven't been here since I was ten."

Jessie rolled her eyes at his childish antics but let him continue to lean over her.

As the Quest van drove around a small island full of palm trees, the compound came into sight. Jessie noticed the outward design was nothing like the Maine compound. It appeared to be really long and only one story. Palm trees dotted the island in place of the evergreen trees she was used to from the Maine compound, and white sand covered the island's surface with only a smattering of crab grass around the house. Jessie crinkled her nose in distaste. She definitely preferred the grounds of the Maine compound. She just wasn't a tropical girl, she enjoyed seasonal change.

"It looks just like I remember it, Doc," Race said as they approached the island.

"Yes, it doesn't appear to have aged a bit, does it?"

Race drove the van all the way up the long driveway to the front doors of the house. The gang exited the van, happy to finally be done with the long journey.

"Well, first things first, I'd better get the old security system updated and running since it will be awhile before IRIS is on-line," Race said while stretching. "We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened in Maine."

Benton nodded his head in agreement. "I'll start getting IRIS set up in the lab as soon as I'm done opening up the house. It's been a long time since anyone has set foot in it so it's going to need a good airing out."

Jessie watched them go before saying, "I guess that leaves us to start unpacking the van, Jonny."

She turned to face her friend only to see him running down the beach after his dog. Jessie sighed before chasing after the pair.

"Jonny, wait up!"

They finally managed to catch Bandit halfway around the compound. Jessie and Jonny looked out at the ocean silently. It was definitely a nice view. The ocean was so blue it was hard to tell where it ended and the sky began. It stretched on for miles and the pair could see a few of the other Florida Key islands off in the distance from where they stood.

"I can't believe we'll be living here for the next year," Jonny said suddenly.

"Yeah I know. But it can't be helped. At least you've lived here before. This is completely new territory for me."

Jonny smiled reassuringly. "Don't sweat it, Jess. It doesn't matter where we are, as long as we're there together it'll always be a blast!"

Jessie chuckled at Jonny's positive attitude. He was right though. No matter what happened to them, as long as they faced it together they were okay. They always came out on top. They were a team, the best of friends and had been for years now. They had some other friends back in Rockport but they weren't nearly as close to those friends as they were to each other. It made sense since no one else could relate to their adventurous life style. Their life style was the main thing that brought them so close together. Even before Hadji had left the group to take his position as Sultan of Bangalore, it always seemed to be Jonny and Jessie with Hadji on the side since often times he seemed to be in a league of his own. Jessie didn't know what their hectic futures held, but whatever happened she hoped her and Jonny would continue to be close. Little did she know, Jonny felt the same way. Jessie was a special girl and nobody knew that more than Jonny. She had grown into a beautiful, independent young woman with a fierce fighting spirit, an astounding intellect, and a kind heart. Jonny couldn't help but admire her. She meant a lot to him, that much was certain.

Jessie suddenly punched him on the shoulder lightly, a bright smile on her face.

"Come on, Hotshot, we have a van to unpack."

Jonny secured his hold on Bandit and followed after her.

**xXxXxXx**

Jonny dropped the last box on the living room floor before wiping his hand across his brow. They had been moving boxes from the van to the house and unpacking them for the last few hours.

"Phew, there might not have been a lot of boxes, but they sure were heavy."

"Hey, at least we had some stuff to bring seeing that our house was destroyed," Jessie pointed out. "If we hadn't stored some old stuff in the light house and the store house at the end of the compound we'd have nothing."

Before Jonny could reply Race walked into the room.

"Hey, kids, it's time for dinner and since we have no food here we're going out to eat. Benton's already in the car."

Jessie and Jonny followed him out to the driveway. Once they were in the car Benton spoke.

"Tomorrow I'll be enrolling you two at the local high school."

Jonny frowned earning a chuckle from Race.

"Come on, Jonny, you miss enough school as it is."

"So what? I learn a lot more from traveling around the world. It's a lot more fun too," he grumbled.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Well I enjoy going to school."

Jonny scoffed. "You would."

**xXxXxXx**

Jessie hauled several shopping bags through the front door.

"Ugh, I think my arms are going to fall off!" she cried as she dropped the last of the bags to the floor.

"Dr. Quest, where's Jonny?" she asked Benton as he passed through the room on his way back to the lab.

"He's out back windsurfing."

"Still?!" she asked incredulously.

Last night after dinner the family went grocery shopping to get some food in the house, but they were too tired to do any other shopping. When Jessie left this morning to go shopping, since most of her clothes were gone among other things, she was going to ask Jonny to join her. She was informed by her dad that he had already headed down to the beach to windsurf so she left without him, but not before her dad roped her into picking up some new clothes for him on the notion that he hated shopping and trusted her judgment. Six hours later, she made it back to the compound completely weighed down with bags and Jonny had yet to come back from windsurfing.

Benton chuckled at Jessie's exasperated look. "Yes he's not wasting any time adjusting to the Florida atmosphere."

"Apparently not . . ."

Jessie knew it was going to take her a lot longer to adjust to their new surroundings. Having to drive at least 20 minutes just to get to the next island was already wearing on her, and she'd have to do it every morning to go to school as well as anywhere else. That in itself was a big difference from what she was used to. Plus that wasn't including the time it took to reach her destination once she even made it to the next island. Seeing that she wasn't going to receive any help, Jessie lugged the bags containing her clothes to her room. She had to make a right after passing through the living room. That hallway led to the kitchen which had a backdoor leading to the other side of the beach. After venturing through the kitchen she came upon the last section of the main building which housed her room – presumably Hadji's room in the past – and Jonny's room plus a bathroom. After setting her bags in her room she returned for Race's stuff. She didn't normally go into her father's room, but she knew if she didn't put his new clothes away they would sit in the living room for days making it even harder to get the long neglected house cleaned up. She hauled the heavy bags down the hallway Race and Benton's rooms were in. There were only two bedrooms and a bathroom in that hallway and it was directly across from the front door on the other side of the living room. After figuring out which room belonged to her father, she dragged the bags through the door. It was a pretty standard room, just like all the other ones in the house. Everyone's room looked almost identical at the moment because they hadn't had a chance to add their personal touches yet. That was one of the reasons Jessie wanted to go shopping so soon: To get new clothes and things for her room as well. Jessie looked around and decided to leave the bags in Race's closet.

_He can unpack them himself, _she thought as she pulled the thin, wooden doors open.

She bent down and dumped the bags on the floor, but when she attempted to stand back up she knocked her head on the shelf above. The shelf reverberated from the contact and a small shoe box that had been left on the edge toppled to the ground, spilling its contents. Jessie cursed under her breath and rubbed her head. Dropping to her knees, she examined the contents of the shoe box splayed out in front of her.

"Pictures?"

A smile formed on her rosy lips when she noticed they were family photos of her with her mom and dad. Some were pictures Jessie had seen and some weren't, but they all held happy memories. She looked at some of the pictures as she placed them back in the shoe box.

"I bet Dad forgot he even has these here," she said to herself.

She picked another picture up but dropped it with a gasp as her eyes focused on the Polaroid that had been revealed underneath it.

"No way . . ." she choked out as she stared at that one picture, the rest of the photos forgotten.

With shaking hands she picked it up to examine it more closely. The implications of the photo in her grasp were impossible yet there it was in front of her, as plain as day. So many questions were racing through her head; it was almost too much for her mind to process. Completely absorbed in the photograph she had discovered, she jumped, startled, at the sound of the backdoor shutting loudly.

"Hey, Jess?!"

It was Jonny. Without giving it another thought Jessie shoved the Polaroid into the back pocket of her daisy-duke jean shorts and scrambled to replace the rest of the photos.

"Jessie?" Jonny called out again as he made his way down the hallway that led from the kitchen to the living room. He was sure she was in the house; he saw the van pull up the driveway from the beach.

"You back here, Jess?"

"Just a minute!" she yelled, hoping to buy herself some time.

Placing the box back on the shelf, Jessie dashed out of Race's room. She hurried down the hallway and into the living room. She stopped abruptly when she saw Jonny standing at the living room end of the other hallway. He was still in his blue and white swim trunks from windsurfing.

"What's up?" she breathed out, trying to sound casual.

Jonny raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing back there?"

"Putting the stuff I bought for my dad in his room," she replied simply. In an attempt to change the subject she asked, "How'd windsurfing go?"

"It was awesome, Jess! You gotta come with me next time," he answered, seemingly forgetting about what Jessie had been up to.

"Sure, I'll give it a go. But right now I have to go hang up my new clothes before they wrinkle. I wouldn't want to look like a slob on my first day at our new school," she laughed, although it was rather empty.

"Yeah okay, I'll see you in a little bit for dinner," Jonny said as Jessie hurried passed him towards the kitchen.

He watched her go before heading for his own room next door to hers. He was feeling slightly uneasy. Something was up with Jessie, he could tell. Generally she was a good actress, capable of looking completely cool and collected on the outside even if she was a mess on the inside. Today was no different. She was at the top of her game and would have looked perfectly fine to anybody, but Jonny wasn't just anybody. Despite her seemingly flawless act he could tell she was shaken up about something. Maybe it was because of all the time they'd spent together growing up, but Jonny could always tell when something was wrong with Jessie. The question was: What?

Whatever it was, he hoped she would be okay.

Jessie was sitting on her bed staring at the incriminating photo she had discovered minutes ago. No matter how long she stared at the picture the image didn't change. There, smiling at the camera in a small, foreign looking village surrounded by jungle foliage was Race. Jessie was also in the picture and she couldn't have been more than six months old. She only knew it was herself because of the short mop of flaming red hair on the baby's head coupled with the bright green eyes. And there next to Race, also smiling happily was a woman holding baby Jessie. The woman was what had shocked Jessie to her core. That woman wasn't Estella Velasquez as it should have been.

Instead it was Jezebel Jade . . . .

_**To be continued . . .  
**_

**A/N: **The idea came from Jade being Jessie's mother in the classic JQ movie Jonny's Golden Quest and also how they originally intended for her to be Jessie's mom in JQTRA but changed their minds when it was decided that Jade would never settle down and get married/start a family and they didn't want to open the "born out of wedlock" can of worms. So they created Estella instead. The title has a double meaning: it's a play on Jade's name and the definition for jaded being disreputable (disgraceful, shady, shameful, etc.). I'm really trying to keep the cast in character for the most part so please let me know what you think. I appreciate all comments and constructive criticism (from the plot, to the characterization, to the writing style itself). It's not only enjoyable for me to read but it helps push me to update faster too. For the most part, I already have the entirety of this story planned out for the most part (including a sequel) but suggestions and plot ideas are still very welcome! Hope you enjoyed this chapter; see you in chapter two I hope! :)

_**SakuraJade**_


	2. Second Guessing

**A/N: **Wow! Over 80 hits for just one chapter! How exciting :) Although it's a bit disappointing that out of that many hits only 4 people reviewed :( I greatly appreciate it to the 4 of you who did review! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it was very encouraging! Plus it's nice to know you think this idea is different and interesting. I'm really working hard on the plot for you :)

Disclaimer: "I do not own The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Hanna-Barbara does and if they were smart, they'd continue the series! Also, Chris Hartwell is a made up character for this story."

" means spoken words

_Italics_ means thoughts

**A Jaded Secret**

_Chapter 2: Second Guessing_

Jessie sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast. The rest of the family was already there. Jonny gave her a look but said nothing as she sat in the seat next to him.

Benton took a sip of his coffee before saying, "I took the liberty of enrolling you two in the high school on Sun Kissed Island, the one adjacent to ours. The name of the school is Ocean View and I took down the directions for the two of you."

Jonny took the sheet of paper Benton held out as Jessie nodded mutely. Getting to school here was going to be a lot more inconvenient then it had been back in Maine. It was true the compound in Maine was outside the edge of town, but at least their school was in the same town. Now it wasn't even on the same island. Not that Jessie completely hated their new home. It was very nice, just a little more secluded than she'd like.

Once breakfast was over Jessie went back to her room to retrieve her backpack. It was lying on the floor next to her desk. As she picked it up she stared at one of the closed drawers. Residing inside was the photo she had found the night before in Race's closet. She still couldn't believe what that picture showed, but she had calmed down a bit since finding it. The picture was hard to explain but thinking Jezebel Jade was her real mother just from one picture was jumping the gun a little. Maybe Jade met up with Race after Jessie was born in order to see his new baby. After all, they went way back.

Besides, what about her red hair?

If it didn't come from Estella then how did she get it? She had so many questions and no way to answer them without straight up asking her father or mother. She didn't know what to think of the photo but she planned to uncover its meaning herself. For now though, she was going to try and adjust to her new environment. She figured it was best to tackle one thing at a time.

"You two had better get movin'!" she heard her father call from down the hall.

She shouldered her knapsack and headed out of the house. She met up with Jonny by the garage.

"Ready to go, Ace?"

"Yep."

Race ran out of the house.

"Hey, Panchita, wait a sec." Once he reached Jessie he held out a set of keys. "Here, take the car that these belong to. It's the one under tarp six," he said with a wry smile.

Jessie took the keys. "Uh, okay."

He gave a wave as he headed back into the house. "Have a good day, kids!"

The pair let themselves into the garage. There were several automobiles in there; each one had a car cover draped over it. After a minute they found the car cover labeled 'number 6'. Jonny pulled it back and smiled widely. Hidden underneath the cover was a vintage silver Pontiac Firebird with t-tops.

"Thank. You. Race!"

Jessie smiled too. It was pretty cool of her dad to give them the keys to this car rather than making them take the van like they usually did back in Maine.

"Let's take the t-tops off!" Jonny exclaimed.

Jessie laughed at his excited attitude. "Alright, alright."

Once the t-tops were in the trunk and the pair had buckled their seatbelts, Jonny took the directions his dad had given them out of his pocket and programmed them into his watch – currently acting as a GPS – before they headed for their new school. The high school was only a few miles into Sun Kissed Island. Jessie pulled the car into the student labeled parking lot. As they headed for the building they were not oblivious to the stares they were receiving from the other students in the parking lot.

"You think they notice we're new?" Jonny whispered to Jessie.

"Definitely."

The pair entered the building and headed straight for the main office. It didn't take long to find. The school was rather tiny with a very small student body. Jessie wasn't surprised, she had a feeling it would be. After all, the Florida Keys were more for tourism than residential living. It would be a completely different experience compared to the one she had at Rockport High back in Maine. Rockport High was so big it had four different lunch periods.

While Jonny and Jessie were sitting in the main office waiting to talk to their new principal, Jonny was flipping through an old magazine that had been on the table. Jessie simply watched the students in the hall milling about through the windows. Most of them glanced at her and Jonny as they passed by. Eventually the secretary had the pair go to the office in the back. They walked in and a stout man with a receding hair line stood up to greet them.

"Ah, you must be Jonathan Quest and Jessica Bannon. Welcome to Ocean View High School. I'm Principal Kent. Please, have a seat."

After they were all seated he pulled out two sheets. He handed one to Jessie and one to Jonny.

"These are your schedules and your locker locations and combinations. Our academic calendar is on the back. I looked over your records from your old high school in Maine and I have to say that I was quite pleased with your academic performances, especially yours, Jessica. So I will expect nothing less here at Ocean View. Any questions?"

They both shook their heads.

"Alright then, you're free to go. Enjoy your first day of school."

**xXxXxXx**

Lunchtime rolled around and the cafeteria was full of students since everyone had the same lunch period due to the miniscule size of the student body. Jessie was sitting in a booth along the windows eating the lunch she had bought when Jonny slid in across from her with his own tray.

"Hey, Ace, how's the food?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"It's high school cafeteria food, how do you think it tastes?" she deadpanned.

Before Jonny could respond, a male student, who looked to be a junior like them, approached their booth. He was about the same height and build as Jonny but with chestnut colored hair that spiked up slightly in the front and dark chocolate brown eyes.

"Hey, are you Jonny Quest?"

Jonny looked at Jessie and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Uh, yeah."

The boy smiled brightly.

"Dude, it's been ages!"

"Uh . . ." Jonny replied, not sure what else to say.

"It's Chris, Chris Hartwell, from, like, 7 years ago!"

Jonny's face suddenly lit up with recognition. "I haven't talked to you since I moved to Maine! How's it going man?!"

Chris shrugged. "Things haven't changed much since you left. We're practically in the middle of no where. How was Maine? What are you doing back here anyway?"

"Maine was good . . . until our house was blown up," Jonny answered casually.

Chris's mouth dropped open in shock.

"It's a long story. We're rebuilding but in the meantime we've moved back to the Palm Key Compound."

"Well it's good to see you again," Chris said with a grin.

"Likewise."

Chris looked across the booth at Jonny's company questioningly. Jonny followed his gaze before realizing what he was staring at.

"Oh, Chris, this is Jessie. Jessie, Chris."

"It's nice to meet you, Chris."

"You too. How do you two know each other?"

"My dad is Dr. Quest's bodyguard," Jessie answered. "We live in the same house."

Chris grinned slyly at Jonny. "You get to live with her? Wish I was as lucky as you."

Jessie and Jonny blushed slightly at his forward comment.

"So what's the story between you two then?"

"Pardon?" Jessie asked confused.

Chris rolled his eyes slightly. "Well are you dating or something?"

"No!" they both shouted simultaneously.

Jessie cleared her throat. "No, we're just really good friends."

"Right, what she said," Jonny added.

Chris smiled slightly. "I see. Well I'd stay and have lunch with you, but I gotta go meet with one of my teachers. We have to catch up though now that you're back."

"For sure."

Chris gave a small wave and a final glance at Jessie before he headed out of the cafeteria.

"So, who was he?" Jessie asked after taking a sip of her soda.

"Oh, Chris was a friend of mine from elementary school. One of the only people I had time to make friends with before my life got too hectic to attend public school. Even after I started getting home schooled I still got to hang out with him once in a while when I was actually home. Otherwise Hadji was my only real friend, well, up until you came to live with us of course," he finished with a smile.

Jessie returned his smile before turning her attention back to her lunch. Jonny watched her for a second before digging into his own plate of food.

**xXxXxXx**

Jonny dropped his school bag on the floor as they walked through the front door.

"We're home!" he yelled, but no one answered.

"They're probably in the lab," Jessie suggested.

"Yeah probably," Jonny replied as he flopped down on the couch in the living room. "We can just talk to them during dinner. Where are you going?" he asked as Jessie headed out of the room.

"To start my homework."

Jonny rolled his eyes. "We just got in the door."

"I know but I want to get it out of the way."

"You're such an over achiever," he teased.

"Well I'd rather be an over achiever than a slacker," she countered, not missing a beat.

"Touché."

Jonny flipped on the t.v. as Jessie left the room with her book bag slung over her shoulder. She walked down the hallway to her room and deposited her bag. Instead of starting her homework like she claimed she would be, she headed back through the kitchen towards the living room. Feeling another presence in the room, Jonny turned on the sofa to look behind him and saw Jessie moving across the corner of the living room from the kitchen hallway to the one that held Race and Benton's bedrooms.

"I thought you went to start your homework?" he asked.

"I'm going to in a minute. I just want to make sure my dad hung up the new clothes I bought him," she lied.

Jonny shrugged and turned his attention back on the tv. Jessie made her way down the hallway and let herself into her father's room. She wanted to look in the shoebox she found yesterday one more time. She had decided that she might have freaked out prematurely in assuming Jade was her biological mother. After all, it was only one photo. She frowned when she saw the untouched shopping bags on the floor of the closet. Race still hadn't hung up his new clothes. She took down the shoe box and set it on the floor before she began to sift through the pictures once again. Jessie looked at every single picture. There were no other photographs of her as an infant with Jade, but there were no pictures of her as an infant with Estella either. In every photo with Estella, Jessie was already over a year old. And there were only a few of infant Jessie with Race.

_But what does this mean?_ she questioned.

Jessie thought about it as rationally as possible. Just because her dad didn't have any pictures of her as an infant with Estella didn't mean they didn't exist. Maybe her mom had them all, or her dad had more family pictures somewhere else. It was also a possibility that the majority of family photos Race had had been at the Maine compound and were now a pile of ashes. Maybe her parents just didn't have the time to take tons of pictures when she was born, what with her dad being an I-1 agent and her mother an archeologist always away on a dig. Race and Estella had always been very busy and involved with their work. It was the main reason their marriage didn't last.

There were many possibilities that could explain this, but Jessie couldn't ignore another possibility: The possibility that there weren't any pictures of her as an infant with Estella because Estella wasn't the one who gave birth to her.

**xXxXxXx**

"So, how was your first day at Ocean View?" Benton asked Jonny and Jessie at the dinner table that evening.

"It was okay. The best part by far was the sweet ride Race let us take there!" Jonny said with a grin.

Race chuckled. "I'm glad you liked it. But be careful with it, that Firebird is my baby from the past."

"Not a problem, Race," Jonny assured him. Turning to his father he said, "Oh yeah, guess who I ran into Dad? Chris Hartwell."

Benton had a thoughtful look on his face for a second before saying, "The boy you were friends with in elementary school?"

"Yeah, I didn't even recognize him at first but I did after we talked for a bit."

Race noticed Jessie had yet to speak.

"How about you, Panchita? What do you think of your new school?"

"It's small. It's going to be a lot different from Rockport."

"Yeah it is," Jonny agreed, "but thanks to the size, me and Jessie have a few classes and lunch together."

Race laughed, "Yeah because you two don't spend enough time together living in the same house and all."

The dinner conversation continued on with minimal input from Jessie. She said just enough to keep from looking preoccupied. She wasn't up for being questioned about her disinterested attitude. Race and Benton didn't notice, but Jonny did. He assumed she was busy thinking about whatever had happened that she had yet to tell him about. After dinner, the pair headed down the hallway to their rooms. Before Jessie opened her door all the way, Jonny placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Hang on a sec, Jess."

She turned to look at him questioningly. "What is it?"

"You seem kind of . . . distracted. What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm still trying to adjust to our new home that's all."

Jonny didn't look convinced. "You sure you're okay?"

"Jonny, I'm fine, really," she replied with a smile.

He noticed that her smile was empty despite her best attempt to make it bright.

_She's doing it again. She's brushing me off just like she did yesterday . . . _

"Well, I'm always here for you, you know that right?" he said sincerely in a last attempt to get her to talk to him.

"I know."

She gave him a final glance before entering her room and shutting the door behind her. Jonny ran a hand through his ruffled blonde hair before heading for his own room next door, not at all convinced that something wasn't up with his best friend.

_**To be continued . . .**_

**A/N: **So that's chapter 2. Review and let me know what you think please!! For the record, I made up Sun Kissed Island. The whole thing about Jonny being in elementary school then home schooled is made up for my story. I didn't watch Classic JQ but I'm under the impression that he was home schooled by Race which is funny since his dad is the smart one lol Anyway I just wanted to clear that up :)

_**SakuraJade**_


	3. A Fight Among Friends

**A/N:** Anybody else ever wonder why Hadji didn't have to go to school like Jonny and Jessie? I mean he was only 16. Anyway thanks for all the support so far you guys! I'm surprised by the amount of reviews I've gotten so far. Surprised, but very happy :) Here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: "I do not own The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Hanna-Barbara does and if they were smart, they'd continue the series! Also Ashley Logan and Eric Peters are two more made up character for my story."

" means spoken words

_Italics _means thoughts

**A Jaded Secret**

_Chapter 3: A Fight among Friends_

Jessie and Jonny were at the breakfast table finishing up their cereal before school.

"So, Dad, how much longer before QuestWorld is up and running?" Jonny suddenly asked as he shoveled a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.

"IRIS should be completely online within another day or two at most."

"Good, then our security system will increase ten fold," Race said as he sipped his coffee. "A week with only minimal security is more than enough."

"And I can finally beat Jessie on the flight simulator," Jonny announced, a smirk directed at her.

Jessie didn't respond. She was too busy thinking about how she could use one of Dr. Quest's inventions to investigate the mystery of the picture she found a few days ago.

"Jessie?" Jonny finally asked, trying to get her attention.

She blinked and looked at him. "Huh?"

"Did you hear me? I said I'm finally gonna beat you at the flight simulator once QuestWorld is back up."

She rolled her eyes. "You wish. Take your best shot, Jonny."

"Oh I intend to."

Jonny played off Jessie's distant attitude but it didn't go unnoticed by him. He could almost see the gears in her head turning.

Benton looked at his watch before announcing, "Well, you two better get going. Remember it takes you longer to get to school now then it did back in Rockport."

"Yeah but at least the ride there is cooler," Jonny grinned.

**xXxXxXx**

Jessie and Jonny pulled into the student parking lot at Ocean View High. They'd hardly left the car when Chris approached them.

"Hey guys!"

"Yo," Jonny replied while Jessie just waved.

"Man I still can't believe you're back in the Keys."

"Well I'm gonna be here for the rest of the semester so get used to it."

"So what are you two doing tomorrow?" Chris asked.

"Uh . . . I don't think we have any plans, do we, Jess?"

Jonny turned to the redhead but she made no sign that she had heard him. He gave her a slight nudge with his elbow as they passed through the school doors.

"Earth to Jessie."

She finally made eye contact with him.

"What did you say?"

"I asked if we were doing anything tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

Jonny looked exasperated. "Duh, Jess, it's Friday."

"Oh," she sounded somewhat surprised, "Uh, not that I know of."

Chris smiled. "One of the students that lives on this island is throwing a party tomorrow night. You two should come."

Jonny glanced at Jessie. She simply shrugged her shoulders.

He looked back at Chris. "Uh, sure, count us in."

"Sweet." The bell rang interrupting their conversation. "I'll give you guys more info at lunch, okay?"

Jonny nodded and Chris headed down a different hall. While Jonny and Jessie walked together he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Since their first day at the Palm Key compound, Jessie had been rather reserved and quiet and it was killing Jonny. He knew something was wrong, that much was obvious, at least to Jonny, but he still didn't know what because she had yet to confide in him.

It was driving him crazy.

They were best friends; they had always shared all their problems and solved them together. But this time Jessie wasn't coming to him with her problem and it sucked. He hated to see such a level-headed girl like Jessie so distracted. He wanted to help her but he couldn't do a thing if he didn't know what the problem was. He was still hoping that she would tell him what was going on with her, but he was starting to think that wasn't going to happen.

As they walked through the school, Jonny noticed another issue with Jessie: She was attracting a lot of attention from the male students at Ocean View High. This was a new phenomenon for Jonny and he was finding that he didn't like it so much. Back in Rockport it hadn't been much of an issue. Most of the boys there thought him and Jessie were an item considering how much time they spent in each others presence. And those that knew she was technically available were too afraid of Race to ask her out. And it didn't hurt that Jessie wasn't interested enough in dating to ask any guys out either. She was too preoccupied with getting good grades, playing around in QuestWorld with him and Hadji, and traveling around the world to investigate strange phenomena. But down here in Florida it was a whole new ballgame. None of these guys knew Race, none of them knew what kind of girl Jessie was, and none of them knew how close he and Jessie were. They hadn't seen them at school together in Rockport so odds were they currently didn't think him and Jessie were dating. As far as they were concerned, Jessie was free game and that made Jonny feel rather uncomfortable.

"Hey, I'll see you in second period, okay?" Jessie said, pulling Jonny from his unhappy thoughts.

"Yeah, okay," he responded.

She turned down a different hallway to go to her locker. As she was putting in the combo, the locker next to hers slammed shut. Jessie looked over at the girl who owned that locker. She had long, honey auburn hair that had banana curls at the tips and soft brown eyes. She was a pretty girl and she definitely knew that.

"Good morning, Jessica," the girl said snidely before she stalked off for her first class.

Jessie rolled her eyes at the girl's obnoxious behavior. This girl was Ashley Logan and she was getting on Jessie's last nerve. All week she had been giving her a hard time. She had been such a pain that Jessie was tempted a few times to knock her on her ass, but resisted the urge. She had enough on her plate as it was, plus she never liked to do anything that could jeopardize her future academic career. So instead she decided to keep her cool and tolerate Ashley as best she could, although she still didn't understand why this girl was hell bent on getting under her skin. Having chemistry together third period wasn't so bad, but Jessie could definitely do without having her locker near the girl.

**xXxXxXx**

Jessie walked into her 3rd period chemistry class and took her seat near the back of the classroom. Even though she had only arrived at this school last week she was already settled into the lessons being taught. It was simple for her to pick up where they were. She was way ahead of what was being taught here. Jessie started to copy down what the day's homework would be – which was written on the board – when someone bumped into her desk causing her pen to mark across her paper. She looked up and saw Ashley passing by to take her seat one desk away from Jessie.

"Oops," she said in a voice that told Jessie it hadn't been an accident.

Jessie shot her a dirty glare before returning her attention to her notebook. The final bell rang and the teacher approached the front of the room.

"Okay class, quiet down. We have a group activity to work on today. Your row is your group," the teacher informed as he started to pass out the instructions. "You are to figure out which molecule is missing from the chemical equation and how the reaction, when all the present parts are mixed together, will differ due to the absent molecule."

Jessie groaned. If her row was her group then that meant Ashley was in her group. Aside from Ashley, three other people were in her group. A quiet girl named Lauren, a jock named Brent, and a punk guy named Eric. That's all she knew about the other students in her row. She still hadn't talked to many people in the school. Maybe she was coming off as antisocial but she didn't really care. She simply wasn't in the mood to try and make new friends at the moment, especially since they weren't even staying in Florida permanently.

The five students circled up and started looking over the guidelines again. After everyone had read over them Jessie spoke.

"This doesn't look so bad. We can probably have it finished halfway through class. Alright, the first step-"

"Excuse me?" Ashley snapped. "Who made you our group leader? You've only been here for a week!"

"You done yet?" Jessie asked dryly.

"No, I'm calling the shots, got it?!"

Jessie dropped her pen onto her desk and sat back in her chair. "Whatever, I just want to get this done."

Ashley took the lead and thirty minutes later she was still bossing everyone around. Jessie stopped listening to her five minutes ago to keep from strangling her. She didn't look like the only one in the group fed up with Ashley. Eric, the guy who dressed in punk clothes, looked more irritated than Jessie, if that was possible. He made eye contact with her for a split second.

"Jessica?!" Ashley suddenly yelled.

"What?!" Jessie asked, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

Ashley either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Listen when I'm talking!" she huffed before turning back to the sheet. "Get started on the last problem."

Jessie closed her eyes to try and block Ashley out. The class period couldn't end soon enough. Jessie reopened her eyes and they widened at what she saw. Eric had a lighter in his hand and he was using it to singe a good chunk of Ashley's silky hair. Jessie silently watched as he swiped it through her soft auburn locks, unable to say anything. She knew she couldn't be the only one seeing this even though they were in the back of the room, but no one was alerting Ashley. The smell of burning hair permeated the air and someone finally spoke up.

"Ashley, your hair!" one of the female students exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

She grabbed her hair automatically and screamed when she felt the matted chunk. She ran from the room to go check the damage before anyone could stop her. The class erupted into a mixture of laughter and conversation. Jessie glanced at Eric. He flicked his Zippo lighter closed and sat back in his seat with a satisfied smile on his face, apparently happy with his handy work.

"How's that for a chemical reaction? Maybe she won't be such a bitch next time," he laughed.

Jessie glanced down at the worksheet on her desk as the teacher started to demand an explanation.

_Well, at least our assignment was almost done . . . _

**xXxXxXx**

Jessie slid into the booth next to Jonny. Chris was across from them.

"Hey, Ace, you're late. What took you so long?" Jonny asked as he took a bite of his semi-burnt cafeteria pizza.

"There was an issue in chemistry class and Mr. Wells held the whole class after."

"Hey did you guys hear what happened to Ashley Logan?" Chris suddenly asked as he opened his can of cherry Coke.

Jessie stared at him with raised eyebrows. Ashley's hair burning just happened right before lunch. News certainly traveled fast in this school. Of course, with such a small student body, Jessie supposed it wouldn't take long for a juicy piece of gossip to travel to everyone.

"Who?" Jonny asked.

"Long brown hair, brown eyes, hot as hell," Chris informed with a wry grin.

Jonny rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah her," he replied sarcastically, indicating that Chris's description hadn't helped at all. "Thanks for narrowing it down."

"The snotty girl with the locker next to mine," Jessie added.

"Oh her. Got it, go on."

"Well anyway, I heard Eric Peters burned off all her hair!"

"He didn't burn off all her hair, he just singed a good chunk of it," Jessie corrected.

Jonny raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Because I saw him do it."

Jessie went on to explain exactly what happened and how.

"Wow, that's messed up," Chris said as he finished his slice of pizza. "Eric always was a strange guy, but I didn't think he was that sadistic . . ."

"Maybe it's not so much that he's sadistic as it's Ashley's a bitch," Jessie countered.

Chris didn't respond so Jonny quickly changed the subject.

"So, Chris, about the party tomorrow . . ."

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

Chris took a piece of paper and a pen out from his backpack and scribbled down an address. Jonny took it from him and looked it over.

"Whose house is this?"

"Rebecca Chambers. Her parents are leaving for a week long cruise and she's celebrating, with everyone," he chuckled. "Party starts at nine."

Jonny pocketed the information. "Alright then, we'll see you there tomorrow."

Chris smiled, "Rock on."

**xXxXxXx**

Jessie knocked on the open door of the lab. Benton looked up and ushered her in.

"Good evening, Jessie. How was school?"

She shrugged indifferently. "It was school. What's the status on IRIS?"

"She's coming along nicely. She should be back up and running by tomorrow."

"Great. I can't wait to have her back on-line."

Benton chuckled. "You and me both, Jessie, you and me both."

"Well, I actually came out here to fetch you for dinner," Jessie revealed.

"Oh, alright then," he replied as he shut the PC screen off and headed for the kitchen.

Jessie's eyes darted around the room quickly before she followed after Dr. Quest. If IRIS was going to be up and running in a day then Jessie already knew how she was going to spend her weekend. All she had to do was find the right piece of equipment and she'd be able to unlock the truth behind the picture. Once she and Benton reached the kitchen they took their seats to begin dinner. Race brought a hot plate of tacos over to the table.

Jonny made a face. "Ugh, tacos again, Race?"

"Sorry, kiddo, it's one of the only things I'm good at making."

"I miss Mrs. Evans," he whined.

"We all do," Jessie sighed as she placed a taco on her plate.

"Oh, before I forget," Benton suddenly spoke, "Race and I will be gone this weekend."

"Going to investigate a strange phenomenon?" Jonny asked with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Because if you are count me in!"

Race laughed at his enthusiasm. "Nothing so thrilling I'm afraid."

"We're going to a conference in Pennsylvania. One of the scientists who was going to speak on the panel can no longer make it so the committee called and asked me if I would be willing to take his place."

"What's it about?" Jessie asked in interest.

"The conference will cover a myriad of technological issues, but the main concern will be artificial intelligence and the implications of its use for the future. It's a small conference so we'll only be gone Friday through Sunday. Plus, since the maintenance on the Dragonfly is finished, we'll be picking it up in Maine and flying it back here."

"You kids gonna be okay by yourselves?" Race asked as he eyed his daughter and Jonny.

"No worries, Race, we live on an island practically in the middle of no where. How much trouble could we get into?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Race responded only half joking.

Jessie ate her tacos quietly. With their dads gone this weekend, she would have a chance to use the lab in private. The only person she'd have to worry about was Jonny but he would be easier to handle than her dad and Dr. Quest.

**xXxXxXx**

"Lean to the left, Ace!"

Jessie did as Jonny ordered and the wind surfboard glided smoothly along the ever blue ocean. It was Friday afternoon and perfect weather for windsurfing according to Jonny. He had asked her to join him and she originally declined, not really in the mood. But Jonny persisted to bug her, pointing out that they hadn't spent any quality time together since they arrived on Palm Key, and Jessie finally relented. She donned her forest green bikini and him his blue and white swim trunks and they hit the waves. They were currently sailing along the beach of Palm Key together. Jonny was right behind her helping to sail the board. Jessie had to admit she was having fun. She always did when she was with Jonny. She felt calm and relaxed with him behind her. It was a feeling she couldn't explain but that only Jonny could invoke in her.

As they came around to the front of the island they saw their fathers waving at them. They steered the board to the dock and walked over.

"Our taxi's here to take us to the airport so we're heading out," Benton announced. "We'll be back Sunday afternoon."

"You guys behave while we're gone," Race said firmly.

Jessie gave him a hug. "We will, Dad. Have a safe flight."

The duo watched the taxi drive off until it was out of sight. Jonny flopped down on the warm, white sand and Jessie took a seat next to him. They sat in a comfortable silence for a little while, just watching the waves crash onto the beach. Finally Jonny spoke.

"Hey, Jess?"

"Hmm?"

"You've been . . . I dunno, kinda distant lately. What's up?"

Jessie didn't respond. She continued to stare off into the distance. Leave it to Jonny to figure out that something was wrong. She never could hide things from him and him from her, but that usually wasn't an issue. She seldom tried to hide things from him but this was different. She didn't know how to tell him for starters. That photo compromised her entire being. It meant that she wasn't really who she thought she was, who he thought she was. Plus, she herself wasn't sure about the truth behind the photo. She still had no real, solid proof that Jade was her real mother instead of Estella. It was an interesting picture, but it was still just a picture. Just because Jade was holding her as an infant didn't mean she was her mother. And if it turned out that she wasn't, then there was no point in telling anybody about all of this anyway.

"Jessie?" Jonny finally said after a few minutes of silence.

He waited patiently for her response but she just kept staring ahead, appearing to be a million miles away. She finally blinked and refocused on him after he called her name again.

"Well?" he pressed. "You seem preoccupied, you have since we arrived and-"

"I'm fine," she cut him off with a hollow smile on her lips.

"Remember who you're talkin' to, Jess," he warned. He knew her better than she cared to admit.

"It's nothing, Jonny. I'm still having trouble adjusting to our new home that's all. It's a lot different from Rockport and I'm just not adjusting to it as fast as you."

Jonny eyed her warily as she stood up and brushed the sand off her partially tan body.

"We should probably eat and get ready for the party."

She headed for the house, not waiting for him to respond. He sighed before following after her. It was bad enough Jessie hadn't come to him to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her. But now she blew him off when he asked her about it directly. He knew there was no way the move, as drastic as it had been, was the cause of her peculiar behavior.

_Why won't you talk to me, Jessie?_ Jonny thought, before following her lead.

**xXxXxXx**

Jonny and Jessie pulled up to a beach house in the Firebird. They could hear the loud music blaring all the way down to the street where they were exiting the car.

"Looks like this is the place," Jonny said as he shut the driver side door.

Jessie followed suit and they headed for the house. Shortly after entering the beach house they ran into Chris. The place was pretty packed so the trio spent most of their time walking around socializing with the other students who showed. Suddenly someone bumped into Jessie, spilling her soda all over the floor. She turned around to see Ashley Logan standing there with a smirk on her face.

"Watch where you're going, Jessica," she barked before gliding past.

"I see you got a hair cut," Jessie called after her. "I wouldn't have gone so short; it doesn't fit your face shape. Then again, you didn't have a choice, did you?"

Jessie didn't normally rub someone's misfortune in their face, but Ashley was an exception; she definitely had it coming. Ashley gritted her teeth and stomped off. Although Ashley's hair was really short it didn't look bad. She was still very pretty. But Jessie's comment on her looks clearly struck a cord. Everyone knew how partial Ashley was to her hair. Her long, silky smooth locks had been her pride and joy. She was always running her hands through them. It would be a long time before she would get to do that again thanks to Eric and Jessie knew it would be a painfully long wait before her hair was back to the length it had been.

It was a small consolation.

Jessie held up her empty cup. "I'm going to get another drink."

Jonny watched her head over to the refreshment table before turning to Chris with a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"What the heck is her problem? Why is she such a bitch to Jessie?"

"Because dude, Jessie's hot!"

Jonny raised an eyebrow.

"Look, you may not notice because you guys grew up together as close friends, but she's a knock out and Ashley feels threatened. She's the hottest, most popular girl around and has been since . . . well since forever at our school. But Jessie clearly rivals her looks plus she's got Ashley beat in brains hands down and Ashley's not happy about that. So she's trying to keep Jessie down, she's defending her territory," he finished matter-of-factly.

Jonny rolled his eyes. It made sense but it seemed so immature and juvenile. It was also unfair to Jessie. It wasn't her fault that she was so pretty . . . The funny part was, that unlike Ashley, she didn't even really try to make herself look pretty. Jessie hardly wore any makeup, she seldom tried to really style her hair, and she never followed the current fashion trends. She didn't obsessively diet or excessively exercise either to stay thin. She and Ashley were complete opposites. Jessie was one of those rare, natural beauties, that's all there was to it. In fact, Jessie's beauty seemed different from any other girl that Jonny had ever met. It almost seemed ethereal. Jonny didn't know how else to explain it. It was the little things like how her hair felt like the finest silk on the rare occasions when he got to touch it. Or the softness of her skin and the way it almost glowed subtly. Or even the deep, rosy shade of pink her lips always seemed to be despite the fact that Jessie almost never wore lipstick. Jonny would go so far as to say that her looks were so natural it was almost unnatural oddly enough. And top it all off, she didn't flaunt her looks. Jonny often wondered if she herself even knew just how gorgeous she was, she was always so modest. Contrary to Chris's words, Jonny was very well aware of how "hot" Jessie was; he just wished the other guys weren't . . .

Over at the snack table, Jessie refilled her red, plastic cup. She turned to head back over to Chris and Jonny but stopped as Eric Peters walked up to her.

"Hey, Jessie," he said, calling her attention.

"Oh hey, Eric."

"I see Ashley didn't quite learn her lesson," he remarked referring to the stunt she'd just pulled. "You'd think gettin' her hair singed because of her nasty attitude would have some kind of impact on her."

"Apparently not," Jessie said dryly. She swirled her cup, sloshing around the cola inside. "So . . . I didn't see you in class today."

"That's because I'm suspended for the next week."

"Ouch," Jessie said for lack of something better to say.

He shrugged. "I just look at it as getting two weeks off for spring break instead of one."

"Huh?" Jessie asked, throw off.

"Next weekend starts spring break. Didn't you know?"

Jessie shook her head. She hadn't heard anyone mention it. She wondered if Jonny knew.

"Well anyway, I'm sorry you got suspended."

"Meh, it was worth it to see her freak out," he laughed at the memory.

Jessie found his laughter contagious and joined in.

"Hey, Jess, who's your friend?"

Jessie looked over and saw Jonny standing a few feet away, his arms crossed.

"Oh, Jonny, this is Eric. We have chemistry together."

"You mean you feel it too?" Eric asked with a sly smile.

Jessie giggled, her cheeks tinted slightly red. Jonny narrowed his eyes at the boy, not finding any humor in his joke.

"I meant chemistry class smart ass."

Jonny gave the boy a quick once over, taking note of his punk/emo motif.

"You mean the pyro?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Jonny!" Jessie yelled slightly at his rude attitude.

Eric actually smiled as he pointed at himself. "That'd be me."

Jonny snorted at his seemingly proud acceptance of the term. "That's not a title you should take pride in."

"Well that's where I disagree," he turned his attention back to Jessie, much to Jonny's dismay. "Anyway, I gotta get going soon so I'm gonna go say goodbye to a few other people. I just wanted to say hey since I won't see you in class for a while."

"Sounds good, to me," Jonny whispered under his breath even though he didn't know why Eric said it.

Alright," Jessie said with a nod.

He gave a small wave. "See-ya 'round."

Jonny watched him go before talking again.

"What did he mean by that?"

"By what?"

"That he won't see you in class for awhile."

"He got suspended for the Ashley thing," Jessie explained.

Jonny smiled triumphantly. "Good."

Jessie shot Jonny a glare. "What is your problem?

Jonny gawked. "Me?! You're the one flirting with the school delinquent!"

"Excuse me?! I was _not_ flirting with him!"

Jonny rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh please. I saw you giggling with him."

"So what?! He said something that was funny so I laughed big deal! Last I checked I wasn't breaking any laws!" she huffed.

"Well you don't need to be associating with people like him anyway."

Jessie just stared at him openly. He'd never acted like this before.

"You're unbelievable."

Jonny didn't respond. The look she was giving him was enough to silence him.

Suddenly she crossed her arms over her chest. "Take me home."

"What?"

"You heard me, take me home now!" she ordered. He was lucky she didn't have the keys otherwise she would have left him there.

"What if I'm not ready to go?" he spit back stubbornly.

"If you don't take me home right now, then I'll go find someone who will! I'm sure Eric would be willing to give me a ride."

Jonny growled under his breath as he fished the keys out of his pocket. He said nothing as he stormed out the door with Jessie at his heels. The ride home was filled with an awkward silence. They'd hardly ever really argued. Sure they bickered and teased but they never flat out fought and over something as silly as this. The minute Jonny stopped the Firebird in the driveway Jessie was out of it and heading for the house. Jonny followed as soon as the car was in park and turned off. He heard Jessie's door slam shut as he passed through the backdoor. He sighed and headed for the kitchen. He wanted to talk to her but he thought it best to let her cool down a little first so he opted to grab something to drink instead.

**xXxXxXx**

An hour after they got home Jonny knocked on Jessie's door.

"Jessie?"

There was no response at first and Jonny was worried that she was even madder than he originally thought. But she suddenly spoke.

"What do you want, Jonny?"

"I wanna talk to you. Can I come in?"

She didn't respond, instead she opened the door with a glance at him and dropped back down on her bed. She looked straight at him as he walked in.

"So talk," she said coldly as she crossed her arms and legs.

Jonny cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Good, you should be. You were way out of line."

"I know," he whispered with his head bowed.

She sighed and relaxed her stance.

"I don't understand. Why were you so mad? That's not like you, Jonny."

"I know, I just . . . I guess it irritated me to see you talking with that guy when lately you won't even talk to me."

"Jonny, that's ridiculous. I talk to you everyday."

"No, Jessie, that's not what I mean," he said firmly. "You've been talking to me but you're not confiding in me. I know something is going on with you but you won't talk to me. You always blow me off when I try to talk to you about it. We always solve problems together, even if the problem only pertains to one of us."

He stared at her, nothing but seriousness in his eyes.

"Please, Jessie, whatever's going on don't face it alone. Let me face it with you. I have no idea what's wrong but I wanna help you."

The tone in his voice was so sincere and pleading that she couldn't stand to deny him. He was the only one who could get to her like that. Her resolve crumbled and she rose from her bed silently. At first, Jonny thought she wasn't going to talk after all, but then she spoke as she crossed over to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer, removing something small.

"I found this by accident when we moved in," she whispered.

Jonny saw a 5x5 Polaroid in her hand. She walked over to him and held it out, backside up.

"Here, take a look."

Jonny took the picture from her outstretched fingers. He flipped it over and his eyes widened at what he saw.

_**To be continued . . .**_

**A/N:** So that hair thing that happened to Ashley Logan really happened to a girl in my 8th grade science class (waaaaaay back in the day lol). She was being such a bitch during a group project that this other guy in the group, who was a real ghetto thug type, popped out a lighter and singed her hair off! She left school immediately and her mother made her an emergency appointment at a salon in Chicago to get it fixed! Damn yuppies. She got the spiked-out in the back style done since that's about all she could do, he burnt it so high lol She really had it coming though, trust me. Just thought I'd share that. Anyway you know the drill, please review, PLEASE! It means a lot to me and helps me to write better as well! Thanks!

_**SakuraJade**_


	4. In the Recesses of the Mind

**A/N:** Who else was disappointed that, had they carried on JQTRA they were going to have them stationed in the Florida Keys again? Blah, the Maine compound was so beautiful while the Florida one from Classic JQ looks lame lol Although I can't deny that I was interested in seeing what Palm Key would look like for JQTRA Oh well. Anyway here's the next chapter, enjoy! My apologies about the lateness, time got away from me . . .

_In answer to one reviewers comment:_ yes, logically speaking, it would make the most sense for Jessie to just ask Race about the picture but then we wouldn't have a story lol But I do try to give a decent reason as to why she doesn't just tell him at least. So I hope that helps :)

Disclaimer: "I do not own The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Hanna-Barbara does and if they were smart, they'd continue the series!"

" means spoken words

_Italics _means thoughts

**A Jaded Secret**

_Chapter 4: In the Recesses of the Mind_

Jonny stared at the picture Jessie handed him moments ago. He couldn't believe the image captured in that simple photograph. After staring at it for several minutes he finally looked back at Jessie, his face mirroring hers the day she found it.

"Jessie, this is-"

"I know."

"But then that means-"

"Jonny, I know."

Jonny ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts.

"This is heavy."

"Tell me about it."

He glanced back at the picture, "No wonder you've been so distracted. I knew something was bothering you but I had no idea it was something of this magnitude."

He suddenly moved towards Jessie and parked himself on the bed next to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, Jonny, how was windsurfing? Oh, by the way, I found this picture in my dad's room, it looks like Jade might be my real mother, what are the odds?'" Jessie's voice was flat. "I didn't know what to say . . . This picture," she took it from Jonny's hand, "it compromises my entire existence. It means my entire life I've been living a lie. How do you tell your closest friend that they don't really know who you are because you yourself don't know?"

"Don't be such a drama queen, Jess. It's not the end of the world if Jade is your mom," Jonny teased.

Jessie shot him a look. "I'm serious, Jonny."

He put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay, sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood."

She sighed as she glanced back at the picture.

Jonny watched her for a second before saying, "So what now?"

Puzzlement filtered over her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what're you gonna do? Are you gonna talk to Race?"

"No!" Jessie replied immediately. "If it's true and he hasn't told me yet, I doubt he'll want to talk about it now. Plus, if it's not true, then I'll have brought all this up for nothing."

"Well, whatever you wanna do I'm behind you all the way," Jonny said earnestly.

Jessie couldn't help but smile at Jonny's words. They meant the world to her. She felt kind of relieved that someone else knew about the picture.

"Actually, I have thought of something, a way to prove who my real mother is without even involving my parents."

"Oh yeah?"

"Do you remember that device Hadji used a while back to find out more about his past?"

Jonny gave a quick nod. How could he forget? Hadji, curious about his mysterious past, had used the VR memory probe to see if he could learn anything from the memories that resided deep within his subconscious. He learned more than he could have ever imagined. Thanks to that device, he was not only reunited with his real mother, Neela, but he found out that he was the Sultan of Bangalore as well.

"Well . . . I was thinking I could use that."

"Dad still hasn't finished perfecting it you know. In fact, he hasn't touched it since before Hadji used it," he said matter-of-factly.

"I know," she admitted, her eyes downcast.

Jonny gave a snort. "I remember how you chewed me and Hadji out for using it before it was perfected."

"Well that was then, this is now. Things have changed."

Jonny sighed. "I know."

When Hadji had used it he wasn't planning on discovering that he descended from royalty. He was just extremely curious about his background since he had no prior knowledge of where he came from. Jessie, on the other hand, was using it to find out a specific detail of her past.

"With IRIS back online using it shouldn't be a problem. We just have to dig it out of whatever box it's sitting in."

"And when do you plan on taking this trip down memory lane?" Jonny asked.

"Tomorrow, it will be easier with our parents away."

Jonny grinned. "Well, at least we're not getting into too much trouble while they're gone."

Jessie didn't respond she was too busy gazing at the now infamous picture.

Jonny cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the silence. "So . . . what are you gonna do if it's true?"

Jessie responded without taking her eyes off the picture.

"I'll cross that bridge if I come to it."

**xXxXxXx**

Jonny pushed aside another box full of electronic equipment. That was the seventh box he had checked for the VR memory probe and once again he came up empty handed. He glanced at Jessie; she was digging through another box on the other side of the lab. He didn't know what number she was on, he'd lost track. She'd been tearing through box after box for the last half hour with a fierce determination he'd only seen her possess on certain occasions during their time together. This was clearly very important to her. Jonny dragged another box over and ripped open the top. Nestled at the bottom he found what he was looking for. He grinned as he glanced over at Jessie.

"Hey, Jess, I found it."

She looked up from her current box immediately. "Really?"

He held it up as proof. She dropped the item in her hands back in its box and headed over to him. He handed it to her and she looked it over curiously.

"So, how do I use it?"

Jonny raised an eyebrow. "What are you asking me for? You know more about my dad's inventions than I do."

"Yeah but you were with Hadji when he used it so you're bound to know more than me. Spill it."

"Okay, okay. To be honest, I don't know that much about it myself," Jonny started. "What I did collect from Hadji's usage is that the VR memory probe can only show you things your mind remembers. It's physically and mentally impossible to remember every single thing that happens to us in our lives and if your brain doesn't remember it then the device can't show you it. What it can do is pull up memories that you might not know you have deep in your subconscious. It doesn't matter how old the memory is, it could be ten years it could be ten weeks. As long as the memory is there you can view it. By using IRIS, you can narrow down the time frame of the memories you view. That's about it," he finished.

"Sounds simple enough," Jessie commented as she headed for one of the chairs used to sit in while logged into QuestWorld.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?"

Positive," she replied, slipping the helmet on.

Jonny ran an uncertain hand through his rumpled hair and walked over to Jessie. He plugged a cord from the chair into the visor before heading over to the computer console that housed IRIS's mainframe. He began typing away.

"Welcome to QuestWorld, what feature would you like to utilize today?" IRIS's feminine voice sounded overhead.

Jonny typed in his request and a system warning was his response.

"Warning, the VR memory probe is still under development and should not be used until more follow up tests have been run."

Jonny typed in the access code to override the safety set on the device. Dr. Quest never got around to changing it after he and Hadji had cracked it the first time.

"Please proceed with caution," IRIS ordered as the program was unlocked, allowing Jonny access to the files necessary to run the VR memory probe.

Jessie was gladder than ever that Jonny not only knew about this issue but was willing to help her with it. She had no doubt she could have figured out how to work the VR memory probe on her own, but it sure was easier with the help of another. Plus, going into QuestWorld alone was risky, especially when Jeremiah Surd seemed capable of show up in the network uninvited and without warning when ever he wanted.

"Alright, Jess, the program is up and running, I just have to log you into QuestWorld. Are you ready?"

Jessie took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

Jonny typed the last bit of information in as he said it aloud. "QuestWorld log on. Subject Jessie Bannon. Going hot!"

With one more click of a button, Jessie was thrust into her own mind via QuestWorld.

"Whadaya see, Jess?" Jonny asked from his position at the keyboard.

"I see . . . my dad. It looks like he's teaching me how to walk. This memory's too late. I need to see earlier memories, anytime before I was six months old."

"IRIS," Jonny called out, "search out the earliest memories Jessie has."

Immediately the scene in the visor went black.

"Now I'm not getting anything," she complained, frustrated.

Suddenly Jessie heard the wail of a baby. "No wait, I think I'm just in a dark room. I can hear a baby crying . . . It must be me."

"You cry? I didn't think you knew how," Jonny joked. After all he'd never really seen her cry before no matter how dyer their situation was.

"Very funny smart ass."

"Well, if you're sitting in a dark room crying then this memory is useless. I'll see if IRIS can-"

"Wait!" Jessie cut him off. "Someone just turned on the lights. I think they're coming closer."

After many seconds of silence, Jonny finally asked, "Well? Who is it?"

"It's . . . it's . . ." Jessie watched as the figure in the room peaked over the railing of her crib. "It's my dad," she said in a deflated tone. "Damn, don't I have any memories of other people?"

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Don't cry, Daddy's here," her father said lovingly inside the VR helmet. He turned to face the doorway. "Babe, you'd better come in here, I think she's hungry."

Jessie held her breath as another figure entered the room.

"Again? My, our little angel has quite the appetite," a female voice said with a chuckle. "She must get that from you."

Race held his hands up in defense. "We Bannons can't help that we have hearty appetites."

The woman became visible over the crib railing and Jessie inhaled sharply.

"What's wrong, Jess? Jessie?" Jonny asked on the outside, troubled by her startled noise.

"Come to mommy, honey," the woman cooed as she reached in to lift baby Jessie out of her crib.

"Jessie, what's happening?!" Jonny asked again with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"It's Jade, she's taking me out of my crib," she revealed, her voice devoid of emotion.

Not wanting to see more of the scene being played out, Jessie ripped the helmet off her head.

"Memory simulation terminated," IRIS announced.

Jonny approached Jessie, unsure of what to say.

"She said 'our little angel' to my dad. Our little angel . . . the picture's true. Jade's my mother . . ." she trailed off in a whisper, as if she were saying something completely vulgar.

Jonny was speechless. He couldn't believe it and yet at the same time he could. The picture withstanding, he always thought Jessie and Jade harbored a lot of similarities. He always assumed it was just a coincidence but apparently he had been wrong. He looked at Jessie. She was staring at the floor, locked in her own world of shock.

"Jessie?" he ventured. "Are you okay?"

She blinked twice and focused her eyes on him.

"I don't know. It's like I had a feeling that picture was true but now that I know it is-"

She suddenly leaned over the side of the chair and wretched violently, vomiting all over the glaringly white tiled floor. Jonny, alarmed at her sudden turn, rushed to her side.

"Jessie!" he cried as he grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling off the chair.

He'd never seen her so shaken up, and seeing all the life threatening situations they'd been in, that was saying something. The only time he'd seen her in a state similar to this was the time they were trapped in the degenerating underwater research center with flesh eating amphibians. She was bad then, she was worse now.

"They lied to me! My entire life everyone lied to me!" she screamed as soon as she caught her breath from puking. Her body was shaking with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and rage. "I can't believe I'm related to that cheap, treasure tracking hussy! She's practically one step away from a hooker!"

Jonny wrapped his arms around Jessie's slender form in an attempt to sooth her frayed nerves.

"Jessie, I know you're upset, you have every right to be, but please calm down! Take a deep breath," he urged his best friend.

Jessie gripped Jonny tightly and did as he instructed. After a minute, Jonny released her.

"I thought you were gonna have a total meltdown. Don't scare me like that, Ace."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to freak you out. I just felt so sick to my stomach suddenly."

Jonny glanced over the edge of the chair. "Well that shouldn't be a problem anymore because I'm pretty sure your entire stomach is laying there on the floor."

Jessie looked over at the mess. "Gross," she groaned.

Jonny held out his hand to help her out of the chair.

"Come on, let's go get some rags. I'll help you clean it up."

"It's my mess. You don't have to help clean it."

"I know, but I want to. I always want to help you when ever I can, no matter the size or type of mess you're in," he said honestly, a warm smile on his lips.

Jessie smiled back and took his out stretched hand. He hoisted her up effortlessly and they left the lab in search of some disinfectant.

**xXxXxXx**

Later that night, Jonny and Jessie were at a local pizza parlor sharing a pizza for dinner. Jonny had suggested eating out rather than dirtying dishes and worse yet, having to wash them afterwards. They ate in silence for a while, still mulling over what they had learned of Jessie's family lineage. They hadn't talked much since Jessie used the VR memory probe. Each was in their own disbelieving world of shock at the information they found deep in the recesses of Jessie's mind. Finally Jonny spoke.

"Jess, now that you know for sure that . . . that Jade's your mother, well, what are you gonna do? I mean you can't change that."

Jessie looked down at the table forlornly. "I know. I don't know what I'm going to do. A part of me wants to confront my parents about lying to me all these years. But another part of me doesn't even want to let them know that I've discovered it. I don't really know how to explain it, it's complicated."

"That's for sure."

Jessie wasn't fully being honest with Jonny. True she didn't know what she was going to do yet, but she did know that she was going to do something. She wanted to know what happened between her dad and Jade and why Jade chose to cut all ties and custody rights to her only daughter. Jessie had a feeling the only person she could get those answers from was Jade herself . . .

**xXxXxXx**

On Sunday evening the Dragonfly touched down on the island's personal runway. Jonny and Jessie had been swimming when they saw their fathers arrive and so they headed over to the hangar to greet them.

"Hello kids," Benton said as he climbed out of the jet with a duffle bag.

"How was the conference?" Jonny asked.

"Wonderful! I earned a standing ovation for my speech on artificial intelligence and how making use of it in our police forces and military branches could save lives," he responded proudly.

Jessie smiled warmly. "Nothing less expected of the great Dr. Quest."

Race suddenly appeared in the doorway and headed down the stairs. Once his feet touched the ground he quickly scanned the premises.

"Well the house looks intact and the two of you are in one piece so I guess that means you two managed to stay out of trouble while we were gone," he joked.

"Funny, Race," Jonny smirked.

He looked at his daughter and smiled, his arms open slightly for the welcome back hug he usually received from her.

"Hey, Panchita."

Jessie stared at him intently for a second, a reproachful look in her eyes.

"Hey," she said stiffly before she turned away and headed for the house.

Race dropped his open arms and scratched the back of his head in puzzlement.

"What's with her?"

"Oh, you know women, Race," Jonny spluttered, trying to come up with a spur of the moment excuse, "she's been moody all weekend, I think it's that time of the month."

Jonny's cheeks reddened at the look Race gave him for talking about Jessie's biological femininity. To avoid furthering the discussion Jonny started to walk swiftly towards the house.

"Well I'd better get out of my swim trunks and into some clothes for dinner," he said over his shoulder.

Once he was back in the house he made a beeline for Jessie's room. Not bothering to knock, he opened the door. She was lying on her bed on her stomach. Her forest green bikini still clung to her body.

"Hey, what was that all about?"

"Knock much?" she said giving him a scrutinizing look.

"Seriously, what was that all about?" he repeated, ignoring her previous statement even though he knew she was right. For all he knew she could have been in the middle of changing out of her bathing suit when he barged in. A picture, if he was perfectly honest with himself, he wouldn't mind seeing but knew he shouldn't.

Jessie rolled over to face Jonny. "I didn't mean to blow my dad off like that. It's just, when I looked at him, I don't know, it's like all I could think about was how he kept this huge secret from me. It makes me wonder how many other things he's knowingly lied to me about," she sighed heavily as she pushed a stray strand of fiery red hair from her face, "and suddenly I just got so mad. I didn't want to see him, much less hug him."

Jonny crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against her doorway. "Well, if you don't want the third degree you'd better check your attitude otherwise Race is gonna get suspicious."

"Was it that obvious that I'm upset about something?"

Jonny smirked. "Only a lot. But I covered for you, sort of."

Jessie raised an uncertain eyebrow. Jonny continued, too embarrassed to tell her what he told Race.

"Look, you have a right to be upset, I would be too. But if you don't want to confront your dad about it yet then be careful how you act around him okay?" he shoved off from her doorframe, "I'm gonna go change for dinner."

As soon as Jonny was gone, Jessie changed out of her swimwear. Before venturing down stairs for dinner, she had come to a decision and had already started formulating a plan to accompany it. Dinner was pretty ordinary. Dr. Quest talked about the convention he had just attended throughout most of the meal. Once silence descended upon the group Jessie decided to start a new topic.

"So spring break is coming up next week."

Her father looked at her over his plate of spaghetti. "So soon? I thought you'd have at least another two weeks."

Jessie simply shrugged. "Different school, different break. I guess Ocean View does spring break sooner than Rockport High."

When no one else took a turn to speak Jessie continued.

"So anyway . . . I was thinking that I'd like to go visit Mom for the week."

Jonny raised a suspicious eyebrow at his long time friend. Just what was she up to now?

"After all it's been a while since I've really spent any quality time with her. I mean the last time we were supposed to hang out Zin decided to drop by and kidnap us," she finished with a grimace.

Race scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I don't see why not, as long as it's okay with Estella of course."

"I'll call her later tonight and check with her."

Race gave a quick nod before delving back into his plate of spaghetti.

"And I thought I'd tag along," Jonny suddenly announced.

This time it was Jessie's turn to raise her eyebrows.

"You want to go visit Estella too, son?" Dr. Quest asked flabbergasted.

"Actually, I just don't want to be sitting around here by myself. Talk about a boring spring break," he said which was partially true. He knew he'd be bored to tears if he had to sit around the compound for a week without Jessie there to hang out with.

"There's bound to be something interesting to see at Estella's current dig site. Besides," he smirked, "last time Jessie went to visit her mom on her own she was in a load of trouble when we came to pick her up," he said referring to the Malenque mummy incident. "At least if I'm there she'll have someone to watch her back."

"That's true . . ." Race admitted.

"Ha!" Jessie cried, "Between the two of us _you're_ the one that gets us into trouble the most with all the stunts you pull!"

"That's true too," Race said as he eyed Jonny.

"Whatever," Jonny scoffed, waving off Jessie and Race's statements. "The two of us are still better off together than separate."

"Actually, out of all the kids that have lived in this household, Hadji is by far the least troublesome. I wonder if he'd be able to go . . ." Race teased.

Jonny and Jessie both shot him a look.

"Well," Benton finally spoke, "As long as Estelle doesn't mind having Jonny along I'm fine with it. I think it will be a very productive and educational way to spend your spring break."

Jonny's face lit up. "Great! Jessie can ask her tonight when she calls. Right, Jess?"

Jessie sent him an icy glare and said "sure" before returning her attention to her food. She didn't know what he was playing at but she was going to find out as soon as dinner was over with.

**xXxXxXx**

Jonny had barely dropped down on his bed when Jessie came storming through the door, slightly slamming it behind her.

"Knock much?" he joked, throwing her earlier statement back at her.

"Alright, Quest, what'd you think you're doing?" she demanded immediately.

"What are you so ticked off about?" he asked casually from his relaxed position on the bed.

"Don't give me that! You know exactly what I'm talking about! What's the big idea saying you're coming with me over spring break?!"

"I got a better question for you," he sat up, a serious look upon his face, "Which mother, exactly, are you planning on visiting? Estelle or Jade?"

She didn't respond. Her silence was enough of an answer for Jonny.

"Yeah that's what I thought. You're gonna go track down Jade, aren't you?"

Jessie crossed her arms over her chest. "So what if I am?"

"Hey I don't have a problem with you searching out Jade. However, I do have a problem with you searching for her on your own."

"I can take care of myself!" Jessie argued.

"I know that, I never said that you couldn't. But I still don't want you going alone, especially if you're looking to intersect Jade. You know the crowd she runs with. Where ever she goes, danger is never far behind and I'll drive myself crazy sitting around the compound all week wondering what's going on with you," he finished sincerely.

Jessie sighed. "Jonny . . ."

"Come on, Jess, we always work best as a team. You know that and I know that. Besides," he added with a big grin, patting the spot on the bed next to him, "you know you don't want to spend a whole week away from me."

With a shake of her head Jessie rolled her eyes but took a seat on the bed next to him anyway.

"You're so full of yourself, Hotshot."

Jonny leaned back against the headboard, his face suddenly somber.

"All joking aside, exactly how do you plan on executing this plan of yours?"

Jessie moved up the bed a smidge and leaned against the headboard next to him.

"Well, I figured I could have my dad drop us off at an airport in Columbia. We can tell him that a ride has been arranged to take us to the dig site to meet up with my mom. Since she and Dad don't communicate much, she'll never even know we were in South America, much less that we were supposed to be staying with her. Once my dad is gone, we turn around and use a commercial airline to fly to Egypt where Jade's shop is located."

"Jade's a busy woman, "Jonny pointed out. "What if she's not at her shop when we get there?"

"I thought of that but going to her shop is our best bet. Even if she's out on one of her crazy treasure hunts we might be able to find out where she went if we start there."

"Well it sounds like you've thought this through then."

Jessie gave a quick nod. "I know tracking down Jade's going to be troublesome, but I just gotta know. I mean, she's my mother, Jonny, but I hadn't even met her until this year when we went to Djakarta. Well, I mean I'd met her before, she did give birth to me but you know what I mean. I have to know, for myself, why she didn't want me, why she basically cut all ties to me when her and my dad split up."

"I get it, Jess. If I were you I'd want an explanation too."

She looked over at Jonny.

"So, you're in then?"

Jonny smiled softly at the beautiful girl next to him. "I'm always in when it comes to you, you know that."

Jessie smiled in response and leaned against him, finally relaxed for the first time in days. Jonny put his arm around her shoulder and they sat there, content with their current position and the silence that surrounded them. Jessie hated to admit it, and never would out loud, but she did feel safer knowing that Jonny was going to be by her side. She almost felt as though there was nothing she couldn't do with him backing her. It was a feeling she cherished and never wanted to lose.

_**To be continued . . .**_

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Again, so sorry for the incredibly long wait and thank you so much for the continued reviews and support! Please keep the feedback coming, I love to hear from you all :)

_**SakuraJade**_


	5. The Rose of the North

**A/N:** Here's the next installment! Sorry for the delay but ffnet was geeking for two days and wouldn't let me upload anything then my internet was being weird. On the plus side the next chapter is half way done.

**Special Thanks To NKSCF **for reviewing every chapter posted in great detail. People like you inspire me to really put effort into a story and update faster :) Every fan of this story should thank him!

**Update 6-17-2011:** Just wanted to let everyone who's read this know that this story is NOT discontinued, so please don't be discouraged by the lack of updates. I really am still working on it, I'm just trying to figure out how to make it all flow nicely for you guys :)

Disclaimer: "I do not own The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Hanna-Barbara does and if they were smart, they'd continue the series!"

" means spoken words

_Italics _means thoughts

**A Jaded Secret**

_Chapter 5: The Rose of the North_

Jessie watched the sand swirl and drift past the bus window as they rode towards the outskirts of Cairo. The interior of the bus was stuffy and uncomfortable under the hot afternoon sun, but it couldn't be helped. Jade's shop was on the edge of Cairo so that's where Jonny and Jessie were headed. They were tired, the flight from Colombia had been long, but Jessie refused to stop so close to their destination. There was no guarantee that Jade would be at her place but Jessie hated the idea of waiting even a couple of hours if it meant missing her. So as soon as their flight landed, the pair of jet lagged teens hopped the first bus they found heading for the other side of Cairo.

Jonny stifled a yawn and slouched down farther into the seat he shared with Jessie.

"Man, I still can't believe we got away with this. I thought for sure your dad was gonna wait with us at the airport until someone from your mom's camp came to collect us," he admitted.

Jessie shrugged. "If Estella was supposed to pick us up he would have. He'd never admit it, but he likes to see her. That's why I told him one of the guys working at the dig site was getting us."

Jonny frowned slightly. He'd noticed that Jessie had taken to calling Estella by her name rather than calling her "mom." It wasn't a big deal but it was a little weird. Jonny still couldn't believe they were on their way to see Jade in order to confront her about being Jessie's biological mother. There was no denying that they had some striking similarities. They were both very driven and could be down right stubborn when they wanted to be. They were both exceedingly attractive as well, although they looked nothing alike, except for their eyes. They did both share eyes of the same vibrant shade of green. Jonny glanced at his lovely companion from the corner of his eyes. It was true she looked nothing like Jade, but at the same time she didn't really look like Race either. Oddly enough, she looked like Estella, despite not being related to her.

"I think this is our stop," Jessie said, pulling Jonny from his private thoughts.

They grabbed their backpacks and headed to the front of the bus. The driver let them off only a few blocks from Jade's shop. When the shop came into view Jessie shielded her eyes from the glaring sun and took a good look from across the street. The curtains were drawn over the two windows that flanked the wide wooden door.

"It looks closed . . ." she said disappointedly.

"I'll try the door," Jonny announced as he crossed the sand strewn flagstone road.

Jessie followed behind him. He put his hand on the brass door knob and twisted but it did not budge.

"No dice," he said with a shake of his head.

"Damn . . ." Jessie cursed. "Well, a locked door's never stopped us before," she stated matter-of-factly.

Jonny crossed his arms over his chest. "We already lied to our dads and flew halfway around the world without their permission and now you wanna add breaking and entering to the list?" he teased.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Just pick the lock already. Or get out of the way so I can do it."

Jonny gave a quick salute, much to Jessie's chagrin, and pulled out a visa credit card.

"It's everywhere you wanna be," he joked with a cheesy smile on his face.

Jessie made a face at his lame sense of humor.

Jonny stuck the card between the door jam and the old wooden door. "I watched Race do this to Pasha's shop when we were in Calcutta that one time." He jiggled the card and door until he managed to get the card between the handle spring and the door jamb. He gave the door a light push and it creaked open.

Jonny waved his hand forward. "Ladies first."

"Thanks," Jessie said dryly.

She walked in with Jonny at her heels. They deposited their backpacks off to the side of the entrance. Jonny shut the door before following Jessie further into the dim shop. Sunlight filtering through the beige curtains was the only form of light. Jonny sniffed the air. It was a bit musty.

"The air is pretty stagnant in here. I don't think the door's been opened in a while. Maybe a week," he threw in as an after thought. "Which means-"

"-that Jade's who knows where doing who knows what," Jessie finished for him.

"Right."

She sighed and leaned on a nearby counter. She knew it was a long shot but she hated to think that they flew halfway around the world for nothing. She glanced at the trinkets and other miscellaneous objects that were cluttering the top. Here emerald eyes landed on a bright orange piece of paper near the phone. She picked it up and looked over the hasty scribbles.

"Jade has some interesting stuff here," Jonny said as he checked out some items on display in a curio cabinet. He glanced at Jessie after her failure to respond and took note of the paper in her hands. "What're ya lookin' at, Ace?" he asked as he made his way over to her.

"A note of some kind. Looks like it was made in a hurry," she replied as she held it out for her companion to see.

It simply said:

_**Thailand **_

_**Chiang Dao Cave **_

_**Big $$$**_

"Guess this explains Jade's absence. If someone offered her big money to go to Thailand then that's where she is," Jessie said.

Jonny looked slightly skeptical. "Maybe. But Jade's always chasing after a treasure so her location changes constantly. For all we know she went on that job a month ago."

Jessie shook her head as she flipped the bright orange paper around.

"The note's written on the back of a flier that is advertising a market bazaar for this week, which means she can't have had this flyer for long. And that means she had to have taken this job recently, like within the last three days or so," Jessie explained before folding the flyer up and pocketing it. "Come on, we have a plane to catch."

Jessie moved for the door.

"Do I have to ask where?" Jonny asked flatly.

Jessie turned back to look at him. "I'm catching the next flight to Thailand. Where ever you go is up to you, Jonny. I won't hold it against you if you head home," she said evenly.

She did want his company, but she didn't want him to feel obligated to come, or to come if he didn't want to. Jonny didn't say anything right away and for a fleeting second, Jessie thought he might actually head back to the Florida Keys after all. Suddenly his lips pulled into a smirk and he walked for the door.

"And miss out on seeing Thailand? No way! I'm not letting you have all the fun," he said as he walked passed her.

Jessie smiled; happy he was sticking with her. As they walked for the door Jonny yawned.

"You can sleep it off while we wait for the next flight, Quest!" Jessie said as she pushed him playfully.

Jonny opened his mouth to retaliate, but before a sound could pass through his lips the front door of Jade's shop splintered open with an ear splitting crack. Jonny and Jessie froze in surprise as three shady looking men stepped over what was left of the door. Two of them had a thick, stocky build to them while the other was more on the lean side. All three had darkened skin but, if it was from ethnic backgrounds or prolonged time out in the sun, neither teen was sure.

"Sorry, but the store's closed. You boys should come back another time," Jonny said, taking a defensive stance that looked casual to the untrained eye.

"And next time I suggest you try the doorknob. It usually works much better than breaking down an unlocked door," Jessie added as she mirrored Jonny's stance.

"Where is Jade?" the thin man, clearly the leader, demanded in a raspy voice, his accent awkward, as he eyed the two teens.

"We don't really know, but we wouldn't tell you guys even if we did," Jessie answered.

The leader jerked his head towards the pair of teens as he said, "Dispose of them."

The two burly thugs rushed at Jonny and Jessie. Right before they could snatch the teens they jumped away, one to the left, the other to the right. The men split up to pursue them individually, giving chase throughout the small store. Jessie lost sight of Jonny when he ran through the dark red curtain that blocked off the back of the store. She ran around a display table, her eyes searching for an object that could serve as a weapon. She cried out in surprise as her body connected with the ground suddenly. Before she could fully process what happened she felt a rough tug at her left ankle and was dragged backwards. She rolled over on to her back and saw the thug reeling her in by a rope, a big, yellow-toothed grin on his face as she drew nearer.

"You not go anywhere," he hissed out in broken English once she was in front of him.

Jessie noticed a large curio cabinet made of dark wood and glass, just behind the man, stocked with rare antique pottery.

"Sorry, Jade," she whispered before she kicked out between the man's legs.

Her heel connected solidly with one of the small legs holding the cabinet up. The decorative leg snapped off from the force and the entire cabinet fell forward in response and smashed into the man's back, shattering the glass windows and many of the artifacts contained within. Jessie flung her arms in front of her face to shield it as best she could from the onslaught of glass that poured down on her. The thug's body sagged forward under the weight, the rope in his hands dropping to the floor. Jessie quickly rolled to the side as the thug and the cabinet crashed to the floor where she had been moments ago. She looked over at the fallen man to make sure he wasn't getting back up. Most of his body was covered by the cabinet but she could see he had a strange, intricate symbol tattooed in black on his bicep. A few seconds later, Jonny rushed out from the backroom, tearing the deep red curtain down in his haste. With the curtain out of the way, Jessie could see the other thug lying on the floor, the remains of a shattered vase littering the floor around him. Jonny spotted Jessie on the floor and ran over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he pulled her from the mess of glass.

"Yeah, you?"

Jonny gave a quick nod. "Jade's gonna flip when she see her store though," he said while they surveyed the damage. He looked for the skinny man who had ordered the attack but he was no longer in the store. "I wonder who those guys were . . ."

"Who knows? Probably someone Jade screwed over at some point," Jessie replied with an edge to her voice.

Sirens suddenly pierced the quiet atmosphere.

"No time to worry about that now, someone must have heard all the noise and alerted the authorities." Jonny grabbed Jessie's hand and started for the exit. "Come on, we gotta get outta here before the police show up or we'll never get to track down Jade."

The pair grabbed their knapsacks and hurried down the street as the squad car drew nearer to Jade's shop. They walked a few blocks over before they found some benches and sat down to wait for the next bus.

Jessie turned to Jonny. "I wonder how long-"

Her sentence abruptly died in her throat when she felt his hand gently cup her face. He lightly moved the pad of his thumb back and forth over her cheek bone near the edge of her eye as he stared at her.

"Jess, you're bleeding," he suddenly said and Jessie realized the spot he was touching actually stung a bit. "You must have gotten cut from all that glass," he stated as he took his hand away and removed his backpack.

After rummaging through it for a second he produced a small first aid kit. He pulled out a small bottle of Bactine, a cotton ball, and a travel size tube of Neosporin. He squirted some Bactine onto the cotton ball and gently dabbed it along the thin, red line on Jessie's cheek. Jessie winced as the stinging increased.

"Sorry," Jonny apologized. "At least this seems to be the only injury you sustained. Plus it's pretty shallow and it's very thin so it should heal up quickly."

He began to dab a small amount of Neosporin onto the cut with the tip of his finger. Jessie could feel her cheeks reddening from Jonny's somewhat affectionate touch and the intimately close proximity of their faces.

When he finished Jessie cleared her throat. "Uh, thanks . . ."

Jonny gave her a crooked smile that could melt the heart of any girl as he packed the first aid kit away.

"No problem. What would you do without me?" he teased.

Jessie just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder," she replied with a fake grimace on her face. Despite her words, she secretly hoped she'd never have to find out.

**xXxXxXx**

Jonny sat down in the window seat while Jessie took the seat next to him on the plane.

"Finally!" she exclaimed as she situated herself. "I wish we'd get moving. We still have to change flights in Hong Kong as it is."

They had spent the majority of the day at the airport waiting on the flight that would get them to Thailand, causing Jessie's patience to wear thin.

"Just be glad they even had a flight to Thailand today," Jonny said. He felt much better, having slept away a good chunk of their time in the Cairo terminal. "It's a good thing so many expensive purchases are charged to the Quest Enterprise account or dad would definitely notice all the money we already spent on international flights."

"No kidding," Jessie agreed.

Once the plane was in the air and it was safe to use electronic devices, Jessie retrieved her notebook PC from her knapsack.

"While you were catching up on your beauty sleep," she began as she booted it up, "I did some research on the Chiang Dao Caves."

"Of course you did," Jonny said flatly.

Jessie shot him a look. "There's nothing wrong with being prepared. Besides, failing to plan is planning to fail," she said wisely.

Jonny raised an eyebrow. "One of Hadji's?"

"Lucky guess. Of course, I'm not entirely sure how to find Jade when we get to the cave. That part we'll have to play by ear. But I figured I could at least find some information about where we are going and why Jade might be interested in this place."

"So, did you find anything that would explain Jade's desire to come to this place?"

"Oh yeah," replied Jessie. She opened a file folder to share what she found. "First off, the Chiang Dao Caves are located 72 km north of Chiang Mai city in an area known as 'The Rose of the North' because of its natural beauty. Chiang Mai is a big city and, lucky for us, has an international airport that accepts flights from Hong Kong. So once we land in Thailand we won't be terribly far from our final destination."

"That's good to know. I need a break. We've been traveling for over 24 hours," Jonny complained.

Jessie chose to ignore his whining and continued with her lecture. "The cave complex is thought to extend for 10-14km into Doi Chiang Dao Mountain and only 3 of the 5 caverns are accessible for tourists to explore on their own. The rest require experienced guides and some equipment. Now here's where Jade comes in. I found an old legend involving Thailand's Chiang Dao Caves." She scrolled farther down the document. "Supposedly the Tham Chiang Dao Caves served as the home of a 'reu-sii', or hermit sage, for a thousand years. According to the legend, the sage was on such intimate terms with the deity world that he convinced some 'the-wadaa', which is the Buddhist equivalent of angels, to create seven magical wonders inside the caverns."

"So you're saying there's a serious treasure somewhere in that cave? Yep, that would be more than enough to draw Jade to Thailand," Jonny said.

Jessie gave a nod of her head. "There's a catch though."

Jonny smirked. "There always is."

"Legend says that the treasure is cursed. That anyone who tries to take any of the treasure out of it's cavern will forever lose their way inside the eerie passageways. Unable to find their way out, they'll wander the caves until death claims them."

"Bummer," Jonny replied.

"Yeah, well, despite all the tourism, this supposed cavern of wonders is located so deep in the mountains that no one's ever reached it anyway."

Jonny shrugged, not put off by that. "Doesn't mean it's not in there somewhere."

"It doesn't really matter if it's in there or not. Our concern is finding Jade, not a Thai treasure."

They lapsed into silence and Jonny watched the white, wispy clouds careen past the plane window.

"How do you think Jade'll react when we show up?" he suddenly asked as he turned his head to face Jessie again.

His eyes took on a tender look when they fell upon her peaceful expression. She'd dozed off, her slackened fingers still resting on the keyboard as if ready to type.

_Finally, _he thought as he removed the laptop from her lap and closed it.

She hadn't slept since they'd left Florida and he knew she had to be exhausted by now. He tilted her chair back slightly in an effort to make her more comfortable before he reclined his own chair at the same angle and closed his eyes. There was nothing else to do now but rest and if they were going to pursue Jade they were going to need all the energy they could get. Jonny felt a light weight touch his shoulder. He cracked one eye open to take a peak and a small smile spread across his face when he realized it was Jessie's head. Her fiery locks were spilling over his shoulder and he could feel the softness of her hair against his neck. A contented sigh escaped his mouth as he leaned his own head on top of hers, feeling her red silk on his cheek. Despite the reason for their presence on the aircraft, he couldn't recall being more comfortable then he was at that moment.

Jessie always made him feel that way it seemed.

**xXxXxXx**

"Well this is the place," Jessie announced as she and Jonny walked through the entrance of the Chiang Dao Cave.

Jonny glanced around at all the tourists milling about. There was an over abundance of shiny black hair everywhere he looked.

"Finding Jade will be a piece of cake," he scoffed sarcastically.

"On the plus side, we won't be easily separated," she said as she flicked a messy tuft of his blonde hair. She headed towards the man taking the money.

"Cute," Jonny deadpanned as he followed after her.

Jessie handed the employee ten bhat. "That will cover both of us," she said to Jonny.

"You paid for me? I didn't know this was a date," he said in mock shock.

Rolling her eyes, Jessie said, "Funny," and took the cave map from the outstretched hand of the money collector. "There are three caverns we can explore without a guide so let's start with those, "Jessie said folding up the map.

"It's gonna be a long day," Jonny sighed as they headed into the first section.

**xXxXxXx**

Several hours later, Jonny and Jessie parked themselves on a big boulder out of the way of the foot traffic to take a break. They hadn't seen a trace of Jade and it was rather discouraging. Jessie knew there wasn't anything to do but wander around and hope to get lucky. Since the Quest team had a nice 'right place, right time' track record she was hoping it would hold up in this situation, but so far that had not been the case.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Jonny said. His stomach growled and he gave Jessie a pleading look.

"Oh alright, fine," she conceded. "Well take a break and go get some food."

Jonny held his hands skyward as if thanking the heavens. The two of them rose from the boulder and made for the exit. Halfway there Jessie froze and put her hand out to halt Jonny's movement.

"What?" he asked.

"Look over there," Jessie replied, remaining still.

Jonny followed her line of sight to the other end of the cave where the electric lights trailed off. To his astonishment Jade was there, her eyes darting back and forth as she slinked around the bend and disappeared into the darkening area of one of the restricted caves. Jessie moved to follow immediately. Jonny groaned, knowing that getting some food was now out of the question, and followed after her. By the time he was turning the corner he saw the end of Jessie's long red hair turning the next, even darker corner. He picked up the pace, but as they got farther from the beaten path where there was an abundance of light, it got increasingly harder to see. He could still easily make out Jessie's brightly colored hair and he continued to pursue her until he was right behind her.

"Where's Jade?" he asked in a loud whisper.

"Just up ahead I thi-ahhh!" Jessie shrieked as, while rounding the next corner, her foot hit a section of loose rubble and slid out from under her.

Jonny had encountered the same issue and was sliding right behind her. The path in front of them dropped off suddenly, and without anything to stop them, the pair of teens went right over the edge. Jonny managed to grab onto the ledge as he passed over it, but there was no sign of Jessie in the dark abyss.

"Jessie?" he yelled into the darkness below, his body dangling freely from the edge. "Jessie!"

_**To be continued . . .**_

**A/N:** Sorry for the cliffhanger but this was the best place to cut the chapter. Everything about the Chiang Dao Caves is true so far, from its name and location to the legendary treasure. I'll let you know when fact starts to turn into fiction so you know what's real and what's made up for this story.

_**SakuraJade**_


End file.
